MLK Community Empowerment and Support Projects
2025 Community Celebration Projects
Dr. King once said, "Anybody can be great because anybody can serve." Dr. King committed his life to public service. The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration provides another great opportunity for all of us to be great by serving our community.
Learn more about this year's events
Sheltering Our Beloved Community
Many people in our community experience homelessness and extreme poverty. According to the Minnesota Homeless Study, 10,522 people were experiencing homelessness in Minnesota on a single night in 2023. Families (with children under 18) account for 47% of people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota. Local shelters provide temporary refuge to individuals at risk during the harshest weather conditions to ensure that no individual or family is left out during times of weather extremes. The shelters also provide respite from the stress of surviving without the necessities in life and act as a point of outreach and support for individuals experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty. Providing donations like food, clothing, and personal care items to community partners who serve these individuals is a great way to provide hope and support to individuals in crisis.
Project H.E.A.L. (Health, Education, Access, Link), an outreach program of CentraCare – Coordinated Care Clinic, is collecting the following items to distribute to Lincoln Center, Place of Hope and at Project H.E.A.L.’s free monthly clinics in Long Prairie, Melrose, St. Cloud and Waite Park. Project H.E.A.L. helps underserved individuals overcome barriers to health care including financial, transportation and language, by offering free health screenings and basic care at site across Central Minnesota.
Items needed for individuals experiencing homelessness:
Hygiene Items: baby wipes, razors, regular sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner, feminine hygiene products, shower shoes/flip flops
Cold Weather Items: Hats, gloves, warm socks, hand warmers, blankets/sleeping bags
Food Items Not Requiring Refrigeration: Instant oatmeal, completes, ramen, cereal, microwave mac and cheese, granola bars, canned food (soup), fruit, chips, snacks and treats
General: Can openers, reusable water bottles
Empowering our Beloved Community
Financial Empowerment class
Take control of your financial future with this engaging and practical class on personal finance. Designed for individuals looking to build a strong financial foundation, this class will equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to: master the basics of budgeting, understand the importance of building credit, learn about what goes into a credit score, and more!
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Stearns Bank - St Cloud Financial Center, 2nd floor conference room, 4140 Thielman Ln, St. Cloud
Stearns Salaam Banking (“SSB”) is a division of Stearns Bank N.A., which offers a full suite of Islamic banking products encompassing checking and savings accounts as well as various financing products for consumers, businesses, and nonprofits.
Anybody can be great because anybody can serve.